This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with the shifting financial landscapes, the shifting competitive landscapes and an undisputed global try of the season contender…
Two sides of both the world and the coin
The paths of financial progression, foundation and sustainability for all diverged a little more this week, as Moana Pasifika’s adventures in Super Rugby came – probably – to an end, while in England, Exeter’s next ride will now be atop a wave of Black Knight Sports and Entertainment’s cash.
That’s Exeter who, although notably better at running sustainably than many other clubs in England, have finished in the bottom half of the table in each of the past five seasons since their runners-up spot in 2021 and the astonishing domestic and European double in 2020. Moana Pasifika’s performance has not been up there either; the point here is that neither team is setting the world on fire. Moreover, Exeter is not exactly a storied or historical name such as Harlequins or Leicester, around whom you would expect big investors to soar. Nor is Exeter a global hub of anything in particular.
Perhaps even more galling for the Pacific Islanders is the sheer quantity of investors apparently looking with conspiratorial eyebrows raised in the direction of Sandy Park. Black Knight supposedly emerged as the leaders out of 80 potential suitors entertained by Tony Rowe (granted, not all of them would have been viable), while Moana could simply not find anyone to support them. You’d have thought, if done right, that this was a team that a shrewd investor could use to really make a difference, in an international setting and with string links to high-ish profile international teams and emerging superstars. But when the PREM came up against Super Rugby, it was the former that won out.
If the maths is different, despite Exeter clearly surviving on the generosity of Mr. Rowe for years and now on the financial instruments of Bill Foley and co., how bad can the state of Moana’s finances have been? And if the cash sloshing around Super Rugby is so thin that teams are not getting enough to be even close to survival despite being 11 teams spread across two countries, how sustainable is the rest of the competition? How competitive is Super Rugby really when it comes to retaining talent?
The Pasifika team was set up to ensure a competitive pathway for Pacific Island players, thus strengthening the route for players from those islands and preventing them being shipped off to Europe and restrictive contracts. It hasn’t quite found its spot. Over five seasons there have only been two matches in any of the Pacific Islands, all the rest have been in Auckland where there is an understandable shortage of paying punters willing to defect from the Blues. It hasn’t really caught on. In this respect, quite clearly, Exeter wins out, with a loyal and sizeable fan base and an established seat at England’s top table.
In the wake of Fehi Fineanganofo’s departure from the Hurricanes to Newcastle next season, it has to be a concern that, rather than opting to compete for an All Blacks place, that jersey and the Super Rugby competition have dropped well below the PREM when it comes to attractiveness to both players and investors.
The limp finish in England
In part, that is because the Prem is very well-marketed and makes the most of its teams and their respective identities. But the recent decision to suspend relegation and promotion for a few seasons has also nibbled away at the competition’s credibility.
The weekend past saw the bottom four teams, none of whom can reach the semi-finals but none of whom can now be relegated either, lose by a combined 248-49, or 62-12 on average. Fun though some of the tries were to watch, that is not a sign of a league thriving on its late-season competitiveness.
But what is there to play for? Qualification for the Champions Cup is all very well, but as has been detailed in this column previously, a fair few of the teams involved don’t exactly go all-out for that competition anyway, even if they do make it. Once the ability to make the post-season is gone, and with relegation no longer a spectre, these lower-table teams are basically playing exhibition matches.
There are good reasons for the decision to get rid of relegation and promotion, but something needs to be done to stop the late-season drift, otherwise investors may think twice about investing in the future.
Pau-wow!
While the usual suspects mooch around at the Top 14 summit like they own the place, Pau continues to create some of the season’s finest moments.
The latest was a 54-22 thumping of Bayonne at Bayonne, punctuated by what is surely a contender for the global try of the season award.
Having been edged out of play-off contention in both of the past two seasons, the little pots of depth added this season with the acquisitions of Julian Montoya and and Facundo Isa, as well as the retentions of young stars such as Theo Attissogbe, have created a side well capable of disrupting the status quo in France. Keep an eye out for the men in green as the Top 14, relegation and all, continues to be far and away the world’s most interesting sub-international competition.